CA

Early Exploration and Settlement

  • 1000 years ago: Vikings from Iceland colonized Greenland and reached Labrador and Newfoundland. The remains of their settlement, L’Anse aux Meadows, are a World Heritage site. [1]

  • 1497: European exploration began with John Cabot’s voyage. [1]

  • 1576: English explorer Martin Frobisher explored the uncharted Arctic for Queen Elizabeth I. [2]

  • 1604: The first European settlement north of Florida was established by French explorers Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain at St. Croix Island and Port-Royal in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia). [3]

  • 1608: Samuel de Champlain built a fortress at what is now Québec City. [3]

  • 1670: King Charles II of England granted the Hudson’s Bay Company exclusive trading rights over the watershed draining into Hudson Bay. [4]

  • 1690: Count Frontenac refused to surrender Quebec to the English. [5]

  • Late 17th and early 18th centuries: Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville, achieved victories over the English from James Bay to Nevis. [5]

  • 1701: The French and the Iroquois made peace after a century of conflict. [3]

  • 1758: The first representative assembly was elected in Halifax, Nova Scotia. [6]

  • 1759: The British defeated the French in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, leading to British control of New France. [7]

  • 1773: The first representative assembly was elected in Prince Edward Island. [6]

  • 1775: Sir Guy Carleton (Lord Dorchester), Governor of Quebec, defended the rights of the Canadiens and defeated an American invasion of Quebec. [5]

  • 1782-83: Sir Guy Carleton supervised the Loyalist migration to Nova Scotia and Quebec. [5]

  • 1785: New Brunswick elected its first representative assembly. [6]

  • 1791: The Constitutional Act divided the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada (mainly Loyalist, Protestant, and English-speaking) and Lower Canada (heavily Catholic and French-speaking). [6] The Act also granted the Canadas their first legislative assemblies. [6]

Towards Confederation

  • 1793: The first elected assembly of Lower Canada in Quebec City debated whether to use French and English. [8]

  • Early 1800s: The majority of Canadians were born in the country, marking a shift from previous years. [9]

  • 1812-1814: The War of 1812 occurred between the United States and Great Britain and its colonies, including the Canadas. [10-12]

  • 1813: Laura Secord, a pioneer wife, journeyed on foot to warn Lieutenant James FitzGibbon about a planned American attack. [10]

  • 1814: The Duke of Wellington sent soldiers to defend Canada and chose Bytown (Ottawa) as the endpoint of the Rideau Canal. [10]

  • 1837-1838: The Rebellions of 1837–38 happened in Upper and Lower Canada as reformers sought responsible government. [12]

  • 1840: Lord Durham's report recommended uniting Upper and Lower Canada and granting responsible government. [13]

  • 1842-1869: Sir William Logan founded and directed the Geological Survey of Canada. [14]

Confederation and Expansion

  • 1857: Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada. [15] Nova Scotia had its first elected assembly. [6]

  • 1864: Sir Leonard Tilley suggested the term "Dominion of Canada," drawing inspiration from Psalm 72 in the Bible. [16]

  • 1867: The Dominion of Canada was officially born on July 1st with the passing of the British North America Act. Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were the founding provinces. [17]

  • 1869: The Métis of the Red River were not consulted when Canada took over the northwest region from the Hudson's Bay Company. [18]

  • 1870: Manitoba and the Northwest Territories joined Canada. [19]

  • 1871: British Columbia entered Confederation after being promised a railway to the West Coast. [20]

  • 1873: Prince Edward Island joined Confederation. [19]

  • 1876: The Royal Military College was founded in Kingston. [21]

  • 1880: The Arctic Islands were transferred to the Northwest Territories. [19] The song "O Canada" was first sung in Québec City. [22]

  • 1885: The Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, connecting the country from coast to coast. [20] The Northwest Resistance, led by Louis Riel, took place in Saskatchewan. [23]

  • 1891: Canadian James Naismith invented basketball. [24]

  • 1896-1911: Sir Wilfrid Laurier served as the 7th Prime Minister of Canada. [25]

  • 1898: The Yukon Territory was established. [19]

  • 1900: The White Pass and Yukon Railway opened, connecting Skagway, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Yukon. [26]

The 20th Century

  • 1905: Alberta and Saskatchewan joined Confederation. [19]

  • 1914-1920: Canada interned over 8,000 former Austro-Hungarian subjects as "enemy aliens" during World War I. [27]

  • 1915: Canadian medical officer Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae composed the poem "In Flanders Fields." [28]

  • 1916: The Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings was destroyed by fire and later rebuilt in 1922. [29]

  • 1917: The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in April during World War I. [30]

  • 1918: The Canadian Corps fought in key battles (Amiens, Arras, Canal du Nord, Cambrai, and Mons) during the final hundred days of World War I. [27]

  • 1921: King George V assigned red and white as Canada's national colors. [18] Agnes Macphail became the first woman elected to the Canadian Parliament. [20]

  • 1927: The Peace Tower was completed in memory of the First World War. [31]

  • 1935-1940: John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, was Governor General of Canada. [32]

  • 1943-1944: The Canadian army participated in the liberation of Italy during World War II. [33]

  • 1944: Canadian troops landed at Juno Beach on D-Day (June 6) as part of the Allied invasion of Normandy. [33] The Canadian Army liberated the Netherlands. [33]

  • 1945: The Second World War ended with Germany's surrender on May 8th. [33] Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, the last Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross, was killed while sinking a Japanese warship. [22]

  • 1949: Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada. [19]

  • 1952: Queen Elizabeth II became Queen of Canada. [21]

  • 1957-1963: John Diefenbaker served as Prime Minister of Canada. [34]

  • 1965: The current Canadian flag was raised for the first time. [21]

  • 1967: Canada established its own honors system, starting with the Order of Canada. [35]

  • 1969: The Official Languages Act was passed. [36]

  • 1972: Paul Henderson scored the winning goal for Canada in the Canada-Soviet Summit Series. [37]

  • 1980: "O Canada" was officially proclaimed as the national anthem. [22]

  • 1982: The Constitution Act was patriated, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was entrenched. [38, 39]

  • 1988: Canada and the United States signed a free trade agreement. [40]

  • 1994: Mexico joined the free trade agreement, expanding it to become the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). [40]

  • 1999: Nunavut became a Canadian territory. [19]

  • 2002: Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years on the throne. [21]

  • 2006: The Government of Canada apologized for the discriminatory Head Tax imposed on Chinese immigrants. [41] The House of Commons recognized that the Québécois form a nation within Canada. [42]

  • 2012: Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years as Sovereign. [21]